1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for holding in place loose bricks which form part of an interior furnace wall.
2. Prior Art
A conventional reformer furnace wall is constructed having steel wool or other insulating material sandwiched between an interior brick wall attached to an exterior steel plate wall by steel straps welded to the interior surface of the steel plate wall.
Typically, these furnaces are operated at 3,000.degree. F. which, after prolonged use, causes the brick mortar to deteriorate resulting in loose bricks and, if uncorrected, structural failure in the steel plate wall. For these reasons, the furnace industry has expended much time, money and effort in the development of methods and apparatus for temporarily holding the lossened bricks in place until it is time to replace the entire interior brick wall. At present the best method devised is to weld a stainless steel stud to the steel plate wall and then attach a steel plate to the stud which covers the loose bricks. However, the intense heat of the furnace very quickly results in weld failure thus rendering the tie back assembly useless. Some improvements to this assembly have resulted in the use of ceramic materials for the steel tip and hold back plate. However, weld failures still occur too frequently.
Another problem with the present tie back assemblies is the difficulty and expense of welding the studs and plates in position.